The Homochiroptera affair
by Godstaff
Summary: Batman turns against Superman? With the aid of Luthor? Clark and Diana must face one of their biggest challenges.
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks to Hellacre for her great help editing this.**

**Superman vs. Batman & Luthor**

**Chapter One.**

"_Every time I step inside his cave, I can't help it: the stench of guano gets inside my nose. I know he and Alfred…well, Alfred, does his best to keep the bats away from the working areas with the help of the ultrasonic emitters installed strategically all around the compound and the powerful ventilation systems. I appreciate Bruce doesn't want to eradicate them completely, after all, the poor creatures were here before everyone else and these caves are their home. What they don't realize is they work with people with enhanced senses, one of them being the olfactory sense. What is perfectly unnoticeable for a limited human nose is extremely offensive for other people like Diana, me and others. No wonder both Karas and Conner secretly call it 'Guanera' instead of Batcave. Lucky for them, they seldom come by. Di and I treat it like a visit to a friend whose house is home to a vast number of cats: everyone can smell them but the owner, who is particularly sensitive about the subject"_

"Bruce? Are you in here?" he called. _Damn! I wonder what was so important he couldn't tell me via comm.-link. __Let's check his heartbeat._

Superman focused his super hearing onto the frequency of his friend's heart _'This is odd: It's coming from everywhere.'_

"Bruce? Batman? Are you in here?" He stepped backwards in order to widen his reception. "Is everything okay?" He stepped into the area where the exoskeletons were stored. The armor suits, which he helped build, were large in size and could enhance the strength and speed of the user at least a hundred times, in theory. They also provided some invulnerability, the ability to fly and included several weapons. Clark's back bumped into one of them; to his surprise, metallic hands moved quickly to trap the Man of Steel. One of them was holding a sharp piece of kryptonite, threatening to stab him with it.

"Aaaagh!" The pain of being near green K was intense and Superman's strength began to falter. He let his body fall to the floor and the arms missed him by inches. He crawled away as fast as possible, putting some distance, many artifacts and consoles between the armor and himself.

He looked at the transparent visor of the robotic suit helmet, he saw it was empty. Feeling his powers returning, he scanned it with his x-ray vision to confirm it.

"Batman!" he shouted "What is going on? What's happening?" The armor, obviously controlled remotely, was approaching him fast, destroying everything in its way.

"Do you like the improvements I've made to the suit?" Bruce's voice came from everywhere in the cave, thanks to the ultrasonic emitters, acting now as speakers. The fake heartbeat sound also came from them. He sounded calm and in control.

Clark centered his sight in the wave carrying the signal controlling the exoskeleton. He pin-pointed the origin, which was just a signal repeater. When the machine was already over him. Before it captured him under its weight, Clark, with the last remains of his heat vision, severed the arm wielding the kryptonite shard and blew it away with his super breath.

"Damn you!" Batman's voice was a little less calm now.

Feeling at full strength, Superman smashed his fist into the chest of the suit and shattered it into pieces with his own hands.

"Do you have any idea how much that cost?" and added, "Never mind. Can't expect a peasant like you to understand the value of things. However, got a little surprise for you, you treacherous Alien." Suddenly, all lights became red. "That's right: red sun light simulators. Preparation is the key to success, as I always say." As the voice was finishing these words, all four exoskeletons remaining came on line, cocking their guns and aiming them at Clark. The only other thing in the cave that had tactical weaponry was the plane. Bruce never believed in guns, but he believed in being prepared for everything, fortunately for Clark.

Even under red sunlight, Superman was a few times stronger and faster than any regular earthling. He made a run for it in zig-zag, hiding behind any piece of equipment in between him and the plane. The suits were still shooting at him and wreaking havoc with every console and machine in the way of their bullets and rays.

"You are making a mess of your cave, Bruce!" he shouted.

"Never mind. It's worth the price of taking you down for good, Alien. Besides, it's all replaceable," the voice said.

When Superman reached the hangar sector, he punched his code, hoping it was still valid. It also required voice validation "JL 0.01, Superman. Authorization KRN1938A. Repeat: Authorization Kilo-Romeo-November-one-niner-three-eight-Alpha." The cockpit opened and he jumped inside, closing it immediately. Not a second too soon, because the robotic armors were approaching.

"Well. That was clever. That's probably what I would have done. There might be a brain somewhere in there. To be honest, I never thought you survived a second without your powers." Bruce's voice seemed amused.

"Where are you, coward! Face me and let's end this once and for all." This didn't sound like Batman. Too chatty. Something was off. Way off. And where were Alfred and the rest? "C'mon, Bruce! Is this some kind of test?"

He started the engines in order to maneuver the plane. When he had the suits in his collimator sight, he began to fire at them. He managed to take down one of them with the heavy caliber bullets, but the rest took flight, with the clear intention of surrounding him.

With its lasers, the suit on Clark's right cleanly cut the side wing.

"That's one machine gun and two missiles less," said the voice.

"Oh, shut up!" Meanwhile, the Man of Steel was remembering the cave's layout. Bruce never showed him the plans, for safety reasons, he said, of course, but he surveyed the real thing with his x-ray vision. There were parts obscured even for him, _especially_ for him, with lead. Those were the parts he needed to aim at. If Bruce didn't want him to see them could be for two reasons: because they contained a trap for him or maybe something important for the cave's security. Anyway, it was worth a shot. He had to turn the plane 180 degrees to be in position of firing at one of them, which he hoped might be the cave's energy generators. The aircraft's armored shielding was weakening, so Clark's time was running out.

Finally, one of the bullets broke the bulletproof crystal of the cockpit, gracing his arm. "Aaargh! C'mon, c'mon!"

"Bat 3 ready to launch." The missile was primed, announced the onboard system.

"Finally!" Pressing the red button on the command lever, Superman released the weapon, which flew directly to the selected area. A huge explosion took place, shaking the entire cave and all lights went off. The armored suits were still firing at him, but the red lights were turned off as well. Immediately, another set of red lights began to shine. Emergency lights, this time. He began recovering, feeling stronger.

"I wish I could go out in the sun and recharge a little. Oh well." He broke free from the cabin and with his heat vision and fists destroyed the signal repeater and the rest of the exoskeletons. The auxiliary generators kicked in, but the red sunlight simulators were incapacitated.

Bruce's voice went silent all of the sudden.

With no time to waste, Clark sat at one of the computer terminals still operating, trying to find the transmission's origin. It has been bounced all over the world, but the final point suggested…

"North!? It originated way up North. Oh, no! Not the Fortress!" He knew Batman had all the access codes. He himself gave them to him. Funny how the Dark Knight had a contingency plan for every member of the league, in case somebody turned rogue, but nobody ever suspected he could be the one to flip out.

"I have to give you this one, you paranoid freak: when you're right, you're right. We shouldn't had trusted you this much," he said.

A very low clicking sound behind Superman made him turn rapidly. An Arrow-like object was fired at him, with a green cylinder at the point. Clark caught it before it hit him. He could hear a faint beeping. "It's about to explode!" He shove it inside the monitor in front of him and jumped away a dozen meters to his left. It exploded, releasing a glowing green cloud.

"Kryptonite dust. Ah Bruce…always plan B, C and D. You counted on me catching it and it would explode in my hand, making me breath in the dust. Clever." He tapped his ear. "Wonder Woman come in. Wonder Woman, come in."

"Wonder Woman here. Kal? Is everything okay, Agapitos?" answered Diana.

"We may have a bit of a problem. Batman set me a trap and attacked me. I'm in what's left of his cave. He sounded very strange. I suspect he's in our Fortress…," Clark said.

"I thought we should keep an eye on him. He was always borderline insane. How could he subdue Krypto? You want me to go there and fetch him?" the Amazon asked.

"Krypto knows and trusts him. It wouldn't be difficult for Batman to trick him into a trap. No, I don't want you to go. As much as I agree with you about him being a bit 'intense', he didn't seem like himself. Some of the phrases he used weren't his, but…and this may sound strange, Luthor's…" he explained.

"PRESIDENT Luthor? Are you sure? That poses an even bigger problem!" Diana exclaimed.

"I know. What could two of the smartest humans do when working together, I wonder? I have to ask you for a huge favor…," Superman asked.

"Name it." No doubt or hesitation in the Princess voice.

"I need you to dig out whatever you can on Luthor's end. I need to know the extent of his involvement in this and if he's the one who is controlling Bruce, which I am pretty certain he is."

"I will only promise you no deaths and no destruction, but besides that, I'll use any method available to get to the bottom of this. Agreed?" she said.

"Good. The White House is a Historic Landmark which I'd like to keep intact. Try not to break too many laws, just the necessary ones." The Kryptonian smiled.

"I take it you'll deal with Batman. I'm very fond of our home, Kal, so try not to break the Fortress. Especially the gardens, some Themysciran and alien plants I love the most take forever to mature and blossom. Don't break Bruce either, Gotham needs him. Badly. Let Krypto help," she firmly requested.

"I'll try my best. I have a few things I'd also like to preserve there, as I'd like to preserve Bruce's life."

They both said together, "Be careful" and "I will", and took off to their respective destinations.

First to arrive was Diana to Washington. When she was in range, she called the Secret Service.

"This is Wonder Woman. I request an emergency meeting with President Luthor…" She was interrupted by the sudden apparition of Captain Atom.

"What business brings you here, Wonder Woman? The President is very busy at the moment."

"Hi, Nate. It's been a long time (ever since Luthor took office, Captain Nathaniel Adam was called back to active service for the protection of the White House). How are you? There's an urgent item I need to discuss with the President, it involves high level security matters and he's the only one who can give me answers," she replied.

Captain Atom said embarrassed "Yes. Pleasure to see you too. Sorry, Diana." Changing back to his imperative tone "As I said, President Luthor is busy and can't receive you right now, " he added.

"I must insist. This is actually a life or death situation. I can't discuss it with you, I'm sorry. I'm in dire need of an audience with Luthor…"

Adam cut her abruptly, "_President_ Luthor."

"Yes. 'President' Luthor. Forgive me," she apologized. "May I pass?"

"As a soldier of the U.S. Army, I must follow presidential orders. I have to tell you to turn around." There was a warning in his voice.

"I can't. Please, Nate, let's not do this, time is of the essence. I'm not kidding: there are lives at stake, trust me" she pleaded.

"If you try to get to the White House, I will stop you…"

"You will try. You will regret it, "was her answer.

She threw herself against him and so did he, fists at front. Diana dodged his assault, and connected a powerful uppercut to the Captain's chin, throwing him up several miles. She resumed her course to the Presidential Home.

Descending at full speed, Adam landed his fists in her lower back, pushing her down. Ignoring the pain, Diana took her Lasso and tied Atom's wrists together.

"I'd love to spar with you a while longer, but there's no time. Believe me, I don't want to do this." She unsheathed her xiphos sword and, with the tip, made a small incision in the Captain's containment suit.

"Nooo! Are you crazy? This is a populated area…! I might explode!" he shouted.

"Then I suggest you put some distance from here as soon as possible." It was a calculated risk. She knew he would run as fast and far as he could to avoid damage to the people on DC. Nathaniel recovered from greater wounds than this, but would never risk it, besides, under Diana's punches the breach would only grow bigger, becoming more dangerous. He looked at her with contempt and flew away at great speed.

She could actually feel the sight of many weapons aimed at her, so she sped up in her way down.

Her first impulse was to crash through the ceiling dome. "No. No destruction, I promised." She entered through one of the West Wing windows. There were soldiers and Secret Service personnel already waiting for her. They opened fire. Her skin could stop the bullets, but then she won't be able to control the ricochets which could kill somebody. Using her bracelets, the Amazon redirected the hundreds of projectiles to the floor and ceiling, where they could cause no harm.

"Seriously? Bullets?" she mocked.

A soldier showed up with a rocket launcher and shot at her.

"Woah, that's certainly different," she pointed.

She caught the rocket in mid air and threw it in the middle of the gardens, where it went off harmlessly. Many soldiers ran away. Those brave (or foolish) enough to confront her were left unconscious immediately. "No permanent damage, these people are not the enemy."

So she swiftly made her way to the Oval Office, where Mercy Graves and Hope Taya, dressed as Secret Service agents, were the last line of defense. Both of them fired their UZIs at her till the clips, filled with blasting kryptonite point bullets, were empty.

"Sisters, are you sure you want to do this? You seem prepared to receive someone else, not me." Diana slapped the empty guns off their hands. Both women could take on an entire army each, yet their great martial abilities were useless against the Amazon warrior, who rapidly took care of them.

When she had her Lasso around them she asked, "Lex…eer…'President' Luthor, I mean, where is he?"

Clenching their teeth, and determined to keep their mouths shut, the female agents were on their knees, sweating under the effort.

"Oh. I get it. You think if you don't say anything at all, you won't be forced to speak the truth. I'm afraid that's not how the Lasso works. See: the problem is when I ask a question holding the other end, it compels you to answer it, of course, with the truth. The less you resist the better. I commend you two for your amazing will power, but it's useless. Go on…I know you want to answer me. Come on now…spill it," the Princess teased.

"You won't get anything from us, you bitch,...Lex-is-in-the-Presidetial-Bunker-and-you-will-never-get-him! Aaaah!" Mercy screamed

"Presidential Bunker? How interesting! What and where is it? Hope?" Diana asked politely.

Hope buried her nails in her thigh trying to snap out of it. "Nngh! It's-an-ex-fallout-shelter-turned-into-an-armored-panic-room-ten-levels-underground! Damn you!"

"And where is the access point to it?" The Amazon was almost there.

"Don't say it, Hope! Don't...in-the-kitchen-there's-a-false-shelf-inside-the-pantry-it's-really-a-door-leading-to-a-corridor-with-an-emergency-lift! For crying out loud!" Mercy´s chin fell onto her chest, embarrassed and defeated.

"Thank you, sisters. Hmm…how old are you both?" Diana mischievously asked.

"Twenty eight," said Hope.

"I-always-say-I'm-thirty-but-my-real-age-is-thirty-five." confessed Mercy. "Oh, God! Make it stop, please!"

The Amazon warrior considered they had had enough suffering already, so she punched the lights out of them. _'Pity'_ she thought _`such fine warriors at the service of a man like Luthor.'_

She went to an emergency evacuation "You are Here" schematic on the wall to locate the kitchen. Once her bearings were established, she flew there. Some soldiers and Secret Service agents still tried to stop her, but she rapidly incapacitated them.

When she was inside the pantry it took her an instant to find the hidden door. There was a code panel on it which she tore off before bringing down the steel entrance. There she found a fifteen meter corridor with a lift at the end. A claxon alarm went off and a green glowing gas started filling the passage from the ventilation ports.

"Hello, Superman. I knew you will get as far as here, but I'm afraid this is the end of the line for you. Farewell, Alien." Luthor's voice. A recording.

"Evidently, he was expecting another person. He's so obsessed with Kal, that he thinks only Superman would come here to get him. It's amazing how a genius intellect , level 11 like his could be so one track minded. No wonder he's defeated by Kal over and over. Ahem! This accursed gas is making my throat itch! Cough-cough! It seems a mixture with nerve gas, I better hurry!" Diana threw herself against the elevator doors, also coded, tearing them apart. Once inside the shaft, she began her descent, when a side door opened.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks again to HELLACRE13 for her wonderful editing.**

**Thank everybody for the reviews and follows.**

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**Superman vs. Batman & Luthor**

**Chapter Two.**

Clark took the long route to the Arctic because he wanted to avoid the night shadowed part of the Earth in favor of the daylight illuminated one. He wanted to absorb as much sun energy as possible before arriving.

Superman decreased his speed when he was nearing the Fortress. Knowing Bruce, he'd probably have a welcoming committee prepared in his honor. There were things inside there that really may hurt him, and there was a distinct probability Bruce had already found them.

"Ah!" As if summoned by his thoughts, a particle ray from a Slyvian war drone grazed his right cheek. Slyvian drones were highly specialized war machines, whose stealth capabilities included absolute silent operation. For a man who could hear a micro-organism absorbing nutrients, the fact that he didn't hear it coming was quite remarkable.

"These things always come in pairs, according to their programming. I must be alert." The Kryptonian expanded his hearing range to detect the faintest movement.

"DEEEET!" A loud noise exploded inside his ear.

"Ngh!" The sound, coming at full volume from his communicator, was like a spear stabbing his head. Momentarily dizzy, the Man of Steel began to fall.

"By now I know you increased your superhearing, Clark. Tsk, tsk, so predictable," Batman's voice mocked him as he was regaining his balance. He knew what Bruce was trying to do: he wanted to make the Man of Steel get rid of the communicator, to isolate him from everybody. At risk of his own health, Clark kept it on, in case Diana wanted to get in touch with him. He was leaving the rest of the League out for the time being.

The drones kept firing at him the whole time and even dizzy, somehow Superman managed to dodge their rays. Slyvian technology was developed to stop Mongul, so it could also be lethal for a Kryptonian.

"Not THIS Kryptonian!" said Clark. He finally located both drones and made them explode with his heat vision. "Batman…! Bruce, I don't know how, but you're not acting on your own will. Please, cease the hostilities and let's talk!"

"Talk? The time to talk was over the moment you killed Selina and Damian! You murdering, alien abomination! You took everything away from me! I always knew there would come the time when I would have to take you down!" Bruce's voice cracked when he mentioned Catwoman and his son.

"WHAAAT!?" Of all the losses the Dark Knight had suffered in his life, and given his frail mental balance, these two were the ones that, separately, could send him over the edge of sanity. Suffering both simultaneously could trigger a situation that, because of Batman's multiple abilities and resources, offer no warranties for the one he deemed guilty: all bets were off

"Bruce, no! I didn't…I can prove to you they're alive…!" He made a quick sweep all over the World to locate them…_nothing!_

"Please, Batman, let's get together and discuss this. I'm sure we both can find where they are and who took them. I'm sure Luthor's hands are dirty! Please, let's not do this! We'rewasting precious time!

"Of all the people, you knew they meant the _world_ to me! I know you've always been envious of my leadership of the League! You couldn't wait to take over! Ever since you got together with the Amazon you both thought you were better than the rest of us and wanted to steer the League in your direction!" Bitterness coated Batman's words.

"Batman. I don't know how to say this, but you've never been in charge. Not completely. We let you think you were running things because you were a useful asset. You helped us see the human aspect of our mission, but when you stepped over certain lines, even you must admit, we stopped you. As long as your ideas were useful, we went along, " said the Kryptonian.

Superman was already at the gates of the home he shared with Wonder Woman. Uncertain what to do, if barge in or wait for Batman to make the next move, he decided on the latter. The massive doors opened and two Mwelex robots appeared, shooting all their arsenal at him. (Kelex automats were the servicing aids of the Fortress, while Mwelex were the combat and security versions) A button in Clark's belt deactivate them instantaneously.

"This is my home, Bruce. You can only turn it against me to some extent," he said.

"Yeah, the Kryptonian artifacts, anyway." Batman acknowledged. A huge animal, a Formeli-anorg (a yellow Stegosaurus like creature), from the Fortress Zoo showed up next with a Uniqueterian antimatter cannon attached to his back. Every time the cannon fired, the more pissed the beast got.

While trying to avoid getting hit (anti-matter blasts sting like hell) Superman was talking to the beast, "Down, boy! Down! You remember me? Yeah… I'm the one who's been feeding you all these years! Don't pay attention to the noisy and nasty gizmo!" Saying that, he froze the cannon's barrel with his breath and shattered it with his hands "There! You see? It's over!" The creature was still angry and attacked him. The Man of Tomorrow had no other option than to knock him unconscious. "Yeah. I love you too, Formy."

Suddenly, every mobile armored device of the Fortress Arsenal-Museum was attacking him "Bruce, I don't know how you manage to get all these machines on line, but it won't help you much!" In that very moment, the Man of Steel remembered a few months back he and Diana were on a peace mission off planet for a week, leaving Krypto and Kara-Supergirl to house-sit the place. Besides the mess that Kara left after throwing a party with the Young Justice members and some other young heroes, she told them Batman came several times to borrow the Super-computer. There wasn't anything new about that, only Diana and him lately shared every bit of relevant usable data with the Watchtower's central system, G.O.R.D.A. (General Operations Regulator and Data Administrator), except, of course, information pertaining only to the Fortress exclusive use and operations. Batman being Batman, he probably had his 'personal reasons', they thought. It didn't sound strange at the moment.

_Yeah, it was then when you learnt how to activate my weapons, among other things, right Bruce?_ Batman never let an opportunity go to waste. _Consider all your privileges terminated as of now, Mister. _

He started destroying the machines with his fists and other abilities and making his way inside the Fortress, when a thought came to his mind.

"Ooooh! I see! You're trying to lure me into a trap and these are distractions! You know none of these weapons can cause me any permanent damage, but you want to guide me exactly where you want me! Clever. Sorry, it's not gonna work." Every contingency plan he knew Batman devised to take him down had the same flaw: Bruce always counted on Clark, willingly or unknowingly, getting too close to him, so he could use kryptonite or some kind of armor, weapon or lure him into a trap with red sun light, or, his favorite, using his own fists, enhanced with energy gloves, to knock him down.

_Man, you really give me too little credit._ _Honesty,_ he thought, _it isn't entirely your fault, my friend. _Famously, his Clark Kent persona was constructed around the idea of him being an average Midwestern boy. What nobody knew is that he also hid some of the real Superman personality to most of his colleagues. The Man of Steel was afraid even his closest associates would fear him if, besides his extensive array of powers, he showed the full extent of his Kryptonian intelligence, especially to someone as paranoid as Bruce, so he also played the trusting, innocent and well disposed superhero everybody loved and trusted. Actually, this wasn't too far from the truth, the difference was there was a lot more than that underneath. The only person to whom he revealed his true self was Diana, who also mostly showed to the World the warrior side of herself, when in reality, she was a much more complex, smart and multilayer person than that. Both rather be liked than feared by the people. None of them craved power and their intention was actually to help humanity to develop its true potential and reach its destiny, hopefully a bright one. They had everything they could ever wanted. More than that: they had each other.

Superman began moving back to the entrance while releasing a wide blast of heat vision, laying waste of all the automated weapons at once. _I've always knew it was a mistake to keep these dangerous toys: sooner or later somebody would find a way to put their hands on them and the World could be in real danger if that happens, so, it's better this way._

"If you want me, you'll have to come out and get me, Batman! Your rules do not apply anymore!"

Clark knew the Fortress wouldn't provide any more help for Bruce's plans: there were three sensitive areas in it: the Armory –Museum, the Intergalactic Zoo and the Phantom Zone. Given the dangerous nature of these sectors, a failsafe was in place so no person, not even Superman or Diana, could access the three areas at once, just one at the time. The only exception was the feeding time at the Zoo: one animal container at a time briefly would open to allow the keeper to take food to that particular animal. The Kryptonian guessed that was how the Formeli-anorg was released. Scanning the Zoo sector with his X-ray vision, he saw Krypto locked inside the beast's container. Most certainly, Batman caught the smart hound feeding the animal and somehow tricked him to stay inside when the entrance closed, while letting the monster out, but, once he accessed the armory, the Zoo and Phantom Zone controls shut down permanently. He was aware that the Dark Knight would go for the armory, the other two were too uncontrollable and unpredictable if what was inside them got loose. Batman hated uncontrollable and unpredictable, what made him sort of predictable, in a way.

"What do you say, Bruce? Care to face me 'mano a mano'? Come out and play!" Making him come out in the open would help the Man of Steel avoid seriously hurting his friend and colleague. He scanned the place again looking for the Dark Knight, but he couldn't find him "Where…?" Something hit violently the back of his head.

As these events took place, Diana, still inside the emergency elevator's shaft at the White House, found herself surrounded by five combat androids, courtesy from LexCorp to the Armed Forces, and now to Presidential security. These were wearing Luthor's classical green and purple colors, instead of the usual regulation camouflage painting.

"Oh, Lex, how can your ego and you fit in the same room?" she wondered. The shaft was very shallow and the Amazon found herself with little room to maneuver. The automats were all over her, trying to grab her arms and legs to immobilize her. At the same time, from their eyes, intense heat rays were fired at her face, specially her eyes, with the intention of blinding her. With a jerk of her head, the Princess made her magical tiara fall to cover her eyes. Its lower front point, under the red ruby star, hurt her nose, but she didn't care. Looking down through the interstice the tiara left open, she could see some of the movements of the androids. The one behind her moved its hands trying to choke Diana. With no little effort, she grabbed its extremities and ripped them off the android's body. Using the robotic limbs as whips, the Amazon lash the other automats away. Once free, she put the tiara back in place, and positioned her body properly for combat. The android from which she tore the arms off was still behind her and tried to ram her from behind; the one in front of her was about to do the same.

"The Themysciran Special sandwich is not on the menu today."

Moving down the shaft, she dodged both robots as they collided into one another, exploding violently. The blast put the other three out of balance and the Princess took advantage of it. "I'd say I take no pleasure in doing this, but I'd be lying." A kick at the base of the head of the closest one sent it to the top of the chute as she turned the body into pieces with her bare hands. The power cell began pulsating, as if it was going to explode too. She buried it violently into the chest of one of the two remaining androids and send it against the other. As she was putting some distance, the three power cells detonated, causing the reinforced rails of the lift tube to twist and bend. "This elevator won't come up again."

Hoping for no more surprises, Diana finally got to the Presidential Bunker. Again thick steel doors and a code panel. She barged in shouting,"If you really wanted to make me work, you should make your door of estranium, Luth…!" The place had four main rooms plus service rooms and two deposits, it was a large compound. The Amazon sharp hearing didn't detect anybody in them. In the middle of the biggest room a 52'' screen descended from the ceiling.

"Wonder Woman! This is such a nice surprise! Of all people it was you who came to visit! I'm flattered. What do you think of my little refuge?" Luthor's face appeared on the screen, addressing the Amazon.

"Love what you've done with the place, Lex. You should work harder on security, though. Your androids were fun, but they didn't lasted long, I'm afraid," the Princess retorted.

"It's _President_ Luthor, thank you. But since we are on a first name basis, can I call you Diana?" Lex asked.

"How can I deny a dying man his last wish? Please, feel free to call me the worst you can imagine, it would be nothing, compared with the names I have in mind for you."

"Charming. Incredibly rude, but charming. I thought princesses were taught better manners. Anyway, to what do I owe the privilege of your visit?" Lex's voice was smooth and calm.

"Don't play the fool with me, Lex. You know exactly why I'm here! What did you do to Batman? Why is he attacking Kal?" _Calm down, Diana. This is a chess match. Don't kick the board before the game ends, s_he thought.

"'Kal'. It sounds so sweet on your lips. You know Kal-El is a stinking alien, don't you? I have no words to describe a woman who mates outside her species. It's almost like interplanetary zoophilia, and I find the concept utterly disgusting. Then again, we're not even certain you are human, are we, clay born Wonder Woman?" Lex smile broaden as he emphasize those last two words.

"If monsters are what you're looking for, just look in the mirror," she said coldly. "And how do you call a man who deceives, betrays, uses, abuses and kills his own kind only to gain more power than he knows what to do with?"

"A business man, a conqueror, a ruler…! It's imprinted in our genes: even spermatozoids race one another for the prize of fertilizing the egg. Our very origin as individuals is a competition," Luthor told her.

_And the Universe would be a lot better place if your father had used a condom,_ the Princess thought.

"Besides, don't worry: I know exactly what to do with all the power I'm gathering. Once I remove one or two nuisances, I'll take humanity to its rightful destiny…"

"…Under your rule, of course…" Diana cut him off.

"Somebody needs to guide them, they're like ignorant little children, and I'm the most qualified person for the job," concluded Lex.

"Thank you, Lex. You've just stated the reason why you must be stopped. I'm wasting my time here!" She tore the screen off the ceiling. The room was silent now, except for the sizzling of the cut cables…and something else, a very low humming. Moving as fast as she was capable inside the compound, the Amazon found a nuclear explosive device, small but with enough power to turn 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue into a smoking crater, with a timer.

Nineteen seconds.

"You demented bastard!" Diana grabbed the artifact and rushed as fast as possible to the outside

"Sorry, Kal" she mused as she crashed through the roof of the White House.

Fifteen seconds.

The Princess tried to gain as much altitude as she could.

Ten seconds.

When she passed the geostationary satellite responsible for monitoring the White House security, she threw the bomb into space with all her might and stopped her ascent.

Seven seconds, six, five, four, three, two, one.

Several miles away a bright light, lasting only a fraction of a second, could be seen, followed, four heartbeats later, by a very faint shockwave. The Amazons exhaled.

Once the peril was averted, and on her way down, Diana tapped her ear.

"Superman, come in…Superman, come in."

It was a huge blow Superman took, which sent him directly into one of the ice elevations surrounding the Fortress. With a blow of his own, he reduced the ice mountain to pieces.

"That really hurt!"

Deet-deet-deet. His communicator.

"Superman here. Come in, Wonder Woman."

"Kal. Is everything alright?" She noticed a little agitation in his voice.

"Not yet. Working on it. Tell me what happened," he answered.

"Luthor sent me on a wild goose chase. He wasn't at the White House, but he set a number of distractions to keep me busy," she informed.

"I'm kind of distracted myself right now…" An energy beam, coming apparently from nowhere, aimed at his head. He move three inches to his left and it blew a huge ice formation behind him.

"Are you in need of assistance?" the Amazon asked.

"Nah. Listen: Home is a little compromised right now, could you…?"

"…Go to the Watchtower and try to locate Lex from there?" Diana finished his sentence. "I'll have to inform the others of our small inconvenience. Are you okay with that?"

"They're probably aware something's going on by now. Let's keep Batman's name out of it, for now," Clark requested.

"Agapitos, I'm not sure if that's wise…" she said, while the Man of Steel dodged another beam.

"Indulge me, please," he begged.

"Very well. We'll do it your way. Tell me, at least, what's your status?" The Princess wanted to know.

"Bruce found it," was his short but terrible answer.

"Gaea! Not the Kryptonian armored suit! I'm going over there at once!


End file.
